Over-enthusiasm or just downright badly behaved?

There was a huge group of what appeared to be mainly antipodeans in the city for La Tomatina. All were with the same tour company. Their behaviour in the early hour of the morning shocked many locals and tourists alike -all over the historic centre, but particularly in the Plaza de la Virgen the night before the Tomato fight in Buñol. Is this really the way to behave in a foreign city?

What were these doing in Plaza de la Virgen, Valencia?

Odd happenings at around 2am in Plaza de la Virgen. What do you think these were advertising, We have no Idea!
We had great video for you but blogger has a problem this afternoon and we can't upload our videos, so here are (poorer quality) stills

ANDALUCIA IN VALENCIA!

It was lovely this morning to be walking through Plaza de la Virgen to the strains of Flamenco guitar and then to see this brightly dress troupe dancing away in the sun - All to publicise the Andalucia Fair in the River bed. Well worth a trip

The Day of the Virgin - continued

Body surfing - note the small child in orange to the left of the Virgin!
Adult this time!
The rose petals...


The Finale is tonight with a Concert of Choral and Band Music - at 2030hrs
Conducted by Pablo Sánchez Torrella with the particiption of Orfeó Valencià Navarro Reverter, la Banda Muncipal de Valencia, la Escolania de la Reial Basílica de Nostra Senyora del Desamparats and the Grup de Danses Alimara.

The Day of the Virgin

Plaza de la Virgen
The Mural of Flowers
You could have been forgiven for thinking that the entire population of Valencia was in, or trying to get in, to the Plaza de la Virgen, in the historic centre of the city this weekend.
Yesterday saw the celebration of the Day of the Virgin, a particularly holy day in the Catholic Church's calendar in Spain.
Preparations began on thursday of last week when two stages were erected by the Basilica and the Plaza was once again decked out in flowers, the centrepiece of which was a large and beautifully made mural depicting the Virgin, made completely of flower parts.
By Saturday afternoon the square began to fill with people to watch performances and to reserve their places for the main day. This carried on through the night and by 8.00am the square was almost completely full for the Missa (mass) delivered from the stage in front of the Mural with orchestra and choirs. Priests shaded by yellow umbrellas passed among the crowds to offer communion.
Then it was a mad rush to clear the square of most of the seating and to prepare for the even bigger crowds that streamed in ready for the passage of the Virgin from the basilica through the square to the Gothic Door of the Cathedral (under 100 metres away)
The effigy is carried on the shoulders of some strong men and the crowds surge to touch her, small children are lifted over the heads of the crowds to touch her and some brave adults body surf over the crowds to touch or kiss her. It is an amazing sight and the sounds of the shouting are at times quite deafening. As they pass below the flats around the square petals are thrown from the balconies.
Once she has made it through the doors of the cathedral, there is a short lull in the proceedings whilst the plaza is once again cleaned and cleared for the final event of the day, a solemn procession of bands, people and the Virgin through the surrounding streets when more petals are thrown and the streets are covered in them. The procession leaves from the Plaza de la Virgen once again and is so long it takes around 2 hours to exit.

The Gigli Tower

For the past week or so some very agile men from the Italian town of Nola have been very busy with lots of planed down trunks of wood, building an extremely high and very spindly looking tower in the Plaza Manises (just around the corner from the Plaza de la Virgen) . It was finally finished yesterday morning and since then it has been a hive of activity with a lunch party and then, last night a large and noisy Verbena taking place until the early hours of the morning.
I managed to find out from some friendly Italians that this tower is built during a festival in Nola each year and is a little like the Virgen in the main square, Gigli is Lilly in English and, like the wooden Virgin in the ofrenda, floral tributes are bought to the tower. It will be interesting to see if any of the Ofrenda flowers make their way to Gigli.

The Crida - Fallas is officially launched today

Today is the day Fallas is launched to the public in Valencia. It all started at 8am this morning with a fantastic display of fireworks in the Ayuntmiento, the city's Town Hall Square. This was followed by a mass breakfast for all the Falleras and Falleros. Then the brass bands assembled in the Plaza de la Virgen (pictured above), to play and march to the Ayuntamiento. Then there's a huge mascleta, daytime fireworks.
At 8pm this evening the place to be is the Torres de Serrano, where there will be more bands, a light show and you'll get to see the Fallera Mayor and her court, followed by more fireworks, probably.